AI glossary · AI basics
Algorithm
An algorithm is a step-by-step set of instructions a computer follows to solve a problem or complete a task.
In more detail
Every computer program runs on algorithms. A recipe is a good comparison: a fixed list of steps that turns ingredients into a meal.
In AI, a learning algorithm is the method a system uses to learn from data. The result of that learning is an AI model. When people say “the algorithm” on social media, they usually mean a recommendation system that decides what you see.
Example
A sorting algorithm puts a list of names in alphabetical order. A learning algorithm studies thousands of emails to learn what spam looks like.
Related terms
AI modelAn AI model is the trained program at the heart of an AI tool: it takes an input, such as a question or a photo, and produces an output.Machine learning (ML)Machine learning (ML) is a way of building AI where computers learn patterns from examples, instead of being given step-by-step rules.Recommendation systemA recommendation system is AI that suggests things you might like, such as videos, songs or products, based on what you and similar people did before.
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